


Mirrored

by BlueScanner



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Akumatized Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2019-11-19
Packaged: 2020-04-07 23:41:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 17,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19095367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueScanner/pseuds/BlueScanner
Summary: When Adrien is akumatized, the city of Paris suffers under the disappearance of Chat Noir, leaving Ladybug to fend for herself. (Inspired by this https://www.reddit.com/r/miraculousladybug/comments/bsjjqr/thats_my_idea_for_an_akumatized_adrien/ reddit post)





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was inspired by a reddit post (https://www.reddit.com/r/miraculousladybug/comments/bsjjqr/thats_my_idea_for_an_akumatized_adrien/) of Adrien akumatized, and further inspired by a comment left by the creator.

Adrien Agreste was not one to be late, not by means of his own choices, but by the word of his father. It was a rare occurrence in which he arrived anywhere later than expected, and so, as he rushed into the back seat of his car, he dreaded the questions surely ready to be thrown his way upon arrival. Nathalie slid in the seat beside Adrien, the car rolling into action the second her door slammed shut. She pulled out her phone and dialled in a number. “This is Ms. Sancouer. Adrien Agreste will be late to his first class, please excuse him.” She spoke quickly before sliding the phone back in her pocket. Adrien looked sadly out of his window. Nathalie frowned, looking over to him. “Adrien, you can’t let this affect your mood today.” 

“I know.” Adrien sighed. “I just got my hopes up is all.” 

“Your father is very busy and under a lot of pressure right now, his behaviour isn’t... what it usually is. You know that.” Nathalie pursed her lips, feeling sympathy for the boy. 

“I don’t get why he won’t let me go to Kim’s birthday party.” Adrien huffed. “I thought... I thought that since he actually ate breakfast with me...” He shook his head. “All I asked was for permission to go to the birthday and he acted like I was spoiled, or entitled, or...” 

“I’m sorry, Adrien.” Nathalie sighed. 

“And he made me late! He argued, and just wouldn’t let it go. And now he’s acting like I made myself late.” Adrien rambled on. The car rolled to a stop in front of his school. His bodyguard slid out and opened Adrien’s door. 

“Adrien, wait.” Nathalie said as Adrien exited the car. “I’m sure your father will apologize.” Adrien nodded his head and closed the car door. He rushed up the stairs and to his class. As expected, he earned his fair share of surprised looks from his classmates. Even Mlle. Bustier’s eyebrows rose as he walked to his seat. “Adrien, did you have a guardian excuse your late arrival?” She asked, taking a break from writing a sentence on the board.

“Yes, I did.” Adrien said, sheepishly. Once Mlle. Bustier had turned back to the board, Nino leaned close to Adrien. 

“ _The_ Adrien Agreste? Late?” Nino said quietly, nudging Adrien with his elbow. “What Earth-shattering event made you late?

“Traffic.” Adrien replied, looking away. He didn’t want to explain what happened whatsoever. Nino accepted the excuse, even though he didn’t really buy it. He could hear a hint of anger in Adrien’s voice and didn’t want to press him. Mlle. Bustier ran through her lesson without further interruption. Lila sat in the back of the class, frowning. Her glare shifted between Chloe and Marinette, both of whom were staring at Adrien, Chloe more subtly than Marinette. Her mind racing with jealously, planning ways to keep them away from Adrien. It was only her second day back at school from her last alleged vacation to Spain and she had nearly found the perfect plan to give her enough time alone with Adrien. With enough time... surely this would work out. In fact, if she was lucky, she could even have half of her plan done by the end of the day. 

But of course, it would require everything to go just her way. She was confident, though, and it showed. Had anyone looked to the back of the classroom, they would have seen Lila’s all too smug expression, unaware of the chaos her plan would later unleash. The lesson dragged on, eventually coming to an end with the sound of the bell. The students packed up their belongings and shuffled to their next class, brushing past eachother in the crowded walkways. Lila pushed past people, finding herself at Adrien’s side.  
“Adrien!” Lila smiled up at him. “What happened? Why were you late?” She asked. Adrien did his best to contain his sigh, only allowing an annoyed twitch at the corner of his mouth. 

“Just traffic.” Adrien replied, leaving Lila none the wiser to his emotions. This was now the fourth time in the past hour that someone had asked him that exact question and he was more than sick of it. He didn’t want to talk about it with his best friend, let alone _lila_.

“Oh, that’s too bad.” Her face twisted into an over sympathetic smile. “Adrien, could I borrow your phone for a moment? Mine is dead and I need to call my mom, she’s in America right now at a charity ball.” 

Adrien hesitated, knowing full well that this could be a lie of some sort, but in all honesty he didn’t care. What could she do with his phone? He wouldn’t unlock it, all she would be able to do with it was call other people. He silently reached in to his pocket and pulled out his phone before handing it to her. 

“Thank you so much! I’ll get this back to you as soon as I’m done speaking at the ball.” She slowed down, letting Adrien walk ahead with the rest of the crowd. A pleased smile spread over her face. That had gone much easier than expected. Rather than call her mother, who was most definitely still in Paris, she slipped the phone into her bag and made her way to the locker room to change for gym, the only class she didn’t have with her regular classmates. When she joined the class, their gym slot was full and so her schedule was only slightly different than everyone else’s. Usually this bothered her, but it worked perfectly with her plan. If she were in the same class as Adrien, she would have to give his phone back before she could use it to her advantage. 

The rest of the period dragged on, Adrien’s mood getting no better before lunchtime. In fact, by lunch he had only become more annoyed with his father’s behaviour. He barely paid attention in science, thinking only of how unfair he had been. He was relieved when the bell rang, knowing he could try to argue his points to his father during lunch. He began the walk to the front doors, where his bodyguard’s car was waiting. “Adrien!” Lila called out, running to catch up to him. “I’m so glad I caught you. We should have lunch together!” 

“I don’t think that’s a great id-” Adrien began, frowning at Lila.

“It’s a great idea.” Lila latched on to Adrien, looping her arm in his.

“My father-” Adrien protested.

“Won’t see us, right? He never eats with you anyways.” Lila began walking, pulling Adrien along behind her. Adrien pursed his lips and remained silent. He would just have to try and talk to his father after school. It was just an hour break, he could handle eating with Lila. Begrudgingly, he followed Lila, her arm still locked in his. Lila glanced behind them as they approached the exit, seeing Marinette staring at the pair, just as expected. She and Adrien walked to the car, Adrien’s bodyguard opening the back doors for them. She spared one more glance as she sat down, seeing Marinette walk out of the doors and begin down the stairs. The car door shut, and Lila began fanning herself. 

“It’s awfully hot in here. Do you mind if I roll down the window?” She asked.

“We have Air conditioning.” Adrien said. Despite this, Lila had already rolled the window down before he finished his sentence. Adrien let out a defeated sigh. The car hummed to life as Lila dug through her bag, pulling out Adrien’s phone. 

“Oh, here’s your phone, Adrien! Thanks so much.” She held it up. “Let’s take a picture together quickly!” She extended her arm out of the window, his phone in hand as the car began rolling away. Adrien conjured up a weak smile. Just as Lila snapped the picture, the phone slipped out of her hand, dropping to the road. “Oops!” She exclaimed, sticking her head out of the window. “Your phone!” She yelled out, loud enough for Marinette (who was now at the edge of the road) to hear.

Marinette’s head shot up, her eyes darting to the phone laying on the road. She ran for it, hoping to get to it before it was ran over by a car. Lila pursed her lips in a smile as she watched Marinette rush to the phone, too distracted to see the oncoming car headed straight for her.


	2. Two

It was a sickening slam that made Adrien’s head whip around. The screams came shortly after, only giving further reason for him to turn around to the best of his abilities despite the seatbelt and look through the back window. His heart sank at the sight he saw. Marinette laid still on the road behind him, a car stopped barely in front of her. “Stop!” Adrien yelled to his bodyguard, already taking his seatbelt off. The second the car came to a stop, his door flew open and he ran out, rushing to Marinette. He glanced around, seeing several students on their phones hopefully calling for help. A few people came from within the school, drawn in by the screaming. Adrien crouched down in front of Marinette, beside a few other students who were there before him.

“She’s still breathing.” Someone said, letting a relief flood over Adrien. The driver of the car behind Marinette stepped out, his hands over his mouth. Adrien looked fearfully down at Marinette, nearly paralyzed with fear. He heard footsteps behind him. His bodyguard’s hand rested on his shoulder, comforting him. 

“Wow...” Lila said, walking to stand behind Adrien. Admittedly, initially there were a few moments where Lila felt proud of herself for her plan working out, but seeing Marinette’s limp form put a pit in her stomach. The best she could do was remind herself that Marinette would be out of the picture, at least for a while. Adrien looked up to Lila, horror taking over his face.

“Lila... Did you...?” He didn’t want to believe it, but he knew Lila, he knew she was borderline psychotic, but this? Marinette could have died, she could still die! Lila’s face paled. He couldn’t have figured it out, could he? Lila never spoke a word to Marinette. Surely no one could blame her for this, right? 

“Did I what?” She asked, trying to regain her composure. “I certainly didn’t hit her with the car if that’s what you’re implying.” She said, trying to force a little humour into the situation. 

Adrien’s face remained cold. “Did you drop my phone on purpose? Did you intend for this to happen?” It was only noon and this day was already one of the worst days of Adrien’s life, rivalling only the day his mother vanished. If Lila did this on purpose, the only thing she could gain was getting Marinette away from here, from him. If she did this intentionally then it was all over Adrien. It made him sick to think about one of his closest friends potentially dying over another girl’s jealousy.

Lila hesitated. “What? Of course not! It was a complete accident, Adrien, I swear.” She put her hands up defensively. “It isn’t my fault she ran to get the phone.” 

Adrien stared up at her in silence, sirens sounding in the distance. “You’re sick.” He spat. Lila looked down in horror at his words as the sirens grew closer. The students surrounding Marinette parted to allow the ambulance to pull up. The back doors sprung open, two paramedics hopping out with a stretcher. Adrien backed up as they heaved Marinette’s form onto the stretcher. He glanced to the school doors to see Alya rush out, her eyes wide. She ran down the stairs and clamped a hand over her mouth. Adrien shook his head, avoiding looking to Lila. 

“Does anyone know this girl’s name?” A paramedic asked the crowd as the back doors of the ambulance shut. 

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng” A few people called out. Adrien watched the paramedic nod his head and rush back to the ambulance. His throat felt as if it were getting tighter. He couldn’t begin to imagine how Alya felt. Adrien turned to his bodyguard and spoke quietly. 

“Please inform Nathalie that I won’t be coming home for lunch.” He turned away and walked towards the school, up the stairs, and to the locker room. As soon as he was alone, Plagg shot out from within his jacket.

“Adrien... Are you okay?” Plagg asked, showing a rare display of sympathy. 

Adrien opened his locker and pursed his lips. “I’m sorry, Plagg, but I want to be alone right now.” 

“What? But Adrien-” Plagg watched as Adrien slid off his ring.

“Please, Plagg. I just need a few moments. I won’t be long. Just take a nap in the locker.” Adrien placed the ring in his locker and gestured for Plagg to follow. Plagg resigned, seeing the sheer exhaustion on Adrien’s face. Plagg nestled away in the corner of the locker.

“Don’t take long.” He said as Adrien closed the locker. He took a shaky breath before walking to the bathrooms and closing himself in a stall. He breathed in and out, trying to calm himself. He couldn’t help but blame himself in some way over this. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to even look at Lila ever again. This was sick, so, so sick. He closed his eyes and crouched to the floor, his hands over his face. If only he had stayed standing for just a second longer, he would have noticed the akuma fluttering over the stall towards him.


	3. Three

Gabriel Agreste never thought he would come to the day in which he would akumatize his own son. But here he was, transformed into Hawkmoth and waiting for his akuma to reach Adrien. Typically he would never think to put his son in harms way, but the horrible pain Adrien felt was irresistible. His torrent of emotions were some of the most volatile that Hawkmoth had ever seen. 

And besides, no one he akumatized ever got hurt in the end. Worst case scenario was that they were defeated by Ladybug and Chat Noir, transformed back to normal, and any damages they suffered long forgotten. The best case scenario was that Adrien defeated the super duo, that he would take the miraculous and then Gabriel would be able to bring Emilie back. Father and son working together to bring their wife and mother back. Nothing was more poetic to Gabriel. Hawkmoth leaned on his sceptre, eagerly awaiting the connection. With Adrien’s emotions this out of control, there was no way he would be able to resist the akuma.

Adrien took his hands from his head and pulled his phone from his pocket. He had grabbed it from the ground after Marinette was taken away and had forgotten it in his pocket until now. He turned it over, inspecting the damage done from the drop. The back was scuffed, the screen cracked in the corner, but it was otherwise fine. He wished he could say the same about Marinette. He turned it on and opened the camera app, wanting to check if the lens was broken at all. While looking at the screen, he saw the akuma flutter in above him and merge into his phone. 

Adrien’s head rose as Hawkmoth’s light mask appeared over his face. “Truth, I am Hawkmoth. I sense your distress over the lies and deception you’ve fallen victim to. I would like to help you reveal the truth in everyone around you in exchange for the Ladybug and Cat miraculous.” 

“No- No!” Adrien clamped his hands on either side of his head, pressing his phone to his temple. “I won’t.” 

Hawkmoth raised his eyebrows, shocked. “If you accept, you will never be lied to again, no one will offer false truths, and everyone around you will be forced to see who they truly are inside. All I ask in return is for you to defeat Ladybug and Chat Noir.” 

“I... I’m...” Adrien trailed off, his strength fading by the second. It felt as if his something in his head was fighting with another part of him, but yet fading away at the same time. He would have to fight Ladybug. He would have to surrender his miraculous. His identity would be revealed, and yet... 

The truth was so tempting. “Do you agree?” Hawkmoth asked. 

“Yes.” Adrien replied. The second the word left his lips black mist enveloped him. It faded away to reveal his new identity. His body was now matte black, a thick green line spiralled down his arms, leading to his hands. His purple feet bled out in the same fashion, a spiralled line ending at his knees on both legs. Covering his face was now what used to be his phone, but had morphed into an ornate mirror, gold surrounding the edges and holding it around his head. 

In his new form, he thought of his situation. Should he tell Hawkmoth who he really was? Would it in any way benefit him? He wouldn’t lose, but... if he were to, and he let Hawkmoth know that he was Chat Noir, it would be over for him entirely. He thought of Plagg sleeping with the ring, holding the knowledge that the ring wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. He could hold on to his secret until the last moment, and when he’s sure he’s won, then he can turn the ring over. This didn’t feel hypocritical to him, as it wasn’t a lie. Hawkmoth never asked, so Truth didn’t have to tell. 

His mind briefly switched to Ladybug and the idea of fighting her. Despite how he felt beforehand, his feelings for the super heroine paled now under the control of Hawkmoth. It didn’t matter to him if he had to defeat Ladybug. A small part of him was excited at the prospect of being able to unmask her, finally know her true identity.  
If Adrien still had free reign over his own mind, he would have felt disgusted with himself. But here he was, fighting for Hawkmoth while still maintaining his own self interests. He flexed his fingers pressed his hand against his mirror.

His voice came not from his mouth, but from all around him. “I will retrieve the Ladybug and Cat miraculous for you, Hawkmoth.”  
“Perfect.” Hawkmoth replied. He was glad Adrien came around, despite the fact that he was slightly impressed with his son for resisting the akuma at all, especially in his state. Truth opened the stall door and exited the bathroom, walking past the locker containing one of his goals. He marched into the courtyard of the school, students’ chatter falling to a hush as he approached his target standing in the centre, talking to another girl. 

“It was so traumatic for me, really. She and I were good friends.” Lila said to the other girl, feigning misery. “I heard Marinette won’t be able to walk again!” The girl Lila spoke to’s eyes widened as Truth approached from behind. “Tragic, I know-” Lila sighed. 

“Watch out-!” The girl cried out as Truth grabbed Lila’s shoulders and spun her around to face him. He locked both hands on her shoulders and held her in place. Her face changed from that of sadness to fear. 

“What are you-” She said before taking in her reflection. “That’s not- That’s not me!” She struggled to move away, the sight terrifying her.   
“That is you, Lila. That’s who you truly are. A monster, ugly inside.” Truth said. “You lie and lie and lie.” 

As she stared into her reflection, black, liquid-like ropes began to surround her from the floor. “Are you... Adrien? Is that you?” She asked, turning her head away from the mirror. The black ropes reached her head, forcing her to stare back at herself again. 

“I am not Adrien anymore. I am Truth. What you see is real, Lila.” His ethereal voice sounded out. Lila’s knees wobbled, her strength giving out. Truth dropped his hands from her shoulder, letting the ropes hold her up. She tried clamping her eyes shut, only for them to spring back open. “Let it sink in, remember who you really are.” He said as the ropes vanished from around her, letting her drop to the floor. She covered her face with her hands, sobbing into them. 

Truth glanced around the courtyard, the students staring at him in fear each catching a glimpse of their reflection. “Anyone who is caught lying, or caught in deception will face my wrath, let that be known.” He announced before taking off in a sprint. He would wreak havoc on the city until he caught Ladybug’s attention. Then the real show would begin.


	4. Four

It was an hour after arriving at the hospital that Marinette awoke. Her eyes slowly blinked to life, her sight made blurry by the glaring lights above her. Her body ached faintly, her mind fuzzy.

“Marinette!” Her mother exclaimed from her bedside. “You’re awake! Tom, get the nurse!” She stood up and rushed to Marinette’s side, grabbing her hand gently. Tom sped out of the room and into the hallway. 

“Mama?” Marinette’s voice was hoarse. 

“I’m here, I’m here.” Sabine patted Marinette’s hand. “It’s okay.” Marinette’s vision began to clear up. She was able to make out a nurse enter the room, her father following behind. 

“Hello, Marinette. Glad to see you’re awake.” The Nurse approached the bed. “How are you feeling?”

Marinette groaned, sitting up a little. Her eyes caught onto the IV’s in one arm that she hadn’t previously noticed. “What happened?” She asked.

“You were hit by a car outside of your school.” Sabine replied.

“Yes, and as we’ve already told your parents, you’ve sustained a mild concussion, bruised ribs, and a sprained wrist.” The Nurse glanced at the clipboard she held in her hand. “How are your pain levels?”

“My head hurts, like a bad headache, and my body kinda hurts all over.” 

“The painkillers are working hard, but we may have to increase your dose.” The Nurse clipped the clipboard to the end of the bed. “You’re lucky the car was going well below the speed limit, otherwise this could have easily ended much worse.”

Marinette pursed her lips, trying to remember before she was hit. Outside the school? She glanced at the clock on the wall. 1:16 pm. So it was probably lunchtime. Her eyes widened, her memory of following Lila and Adrien out of the school returning along with the memory of rushing to rescue Adrien’s phone. The phone that Lila dropped. Her uninjured hand balled into a fist. 

“When will I be okay to leave?” Marinette asked.

“We aren’t completely sure. You’ll definitely be here overnight so you can be monitored, but potentially tomorrow if no issues arise tonight. Your ribs and wrist, however, won’t be healed for several weeks at best.” The Nurse said. “Anything else you would like to ask?” 

Marinette thought for a moment. “No, I don’t.” 

“Alright then, if anything happens, please press the alert button and a nurse will come to help you right away.” The Nurse said as she slipped out of the room. 

“Oh, Marinette.” Sabine wiped at her eyes. “We were so worried.” Tom stood behind his wife, nodding his head to her words. 

“I’m okay.” Marinette mustered up a smile. “If you’re both here, who is at the bakery?”

“No one, we closed it as soon as we heard you were taken to the hospital.” Tom glanced nervously out of the window. 

“What? Go back to the bakery. I’m okay, and you can come back later, or tomorrow.” Marinette shook her head. 

“No, Marinette-” Sabine protested. 

“We need to stay with you.” Tom followed. 

“No you don’t. I said I’m fine. You shouldn’t leave it closed!”

“We close up in a few hours anyways...” Sabine said. “We should just stay.” 

“Don’t lose out on the last sales, and especially don’t waste the food. Go, I’ll be fine.” Marinette said, waving them off with her hand. 

“You’re sure you’ll be okay?” Tom asked.

“Yes, go.” Marinette said. 

“Okay... We’ll come by later tonight, before visiting hours are over.” Sabine said, standing up. “We love you!” 

“I love you too.” Marinette smiled at her parents as they left, leaving her alone. She scanned around the room, noticing her purse on the table beside her bed. She reached over and popped it open. 

“How are you feeling?” Tikki asked from within the purse. 

“Full of painkillers.” Marinette laughed a little. “Are you okay? Did you get hurt at all?”

“No, I think your purse landed on top of you after you were hit. I’m fine.” Tikki poked her head out of the bag. Marinette dug around Tikki, pulling her phone out. She clicked it on and skimmed over the flood of notifications. Messages from people expressing their concern. Among their texts, she noticed a news notification. 

_Akumatized Villain Terrorizes Paris._ it read. Marinette frowned, opening her phone to read more. _A villain calling himself ‘Truth’ has been attacking citizens of Paris since approx. 12:20 PM._ Marinette skimmed over the article, hoping to see how Chat Noir was faring on his own. _Ladybug and Chat Noir have yet to arrive on the scene... Updates to come._ Marinette’s heart sunk. She knew why Ladybug had yet to arrive, but Chat Noir? If the akuma had been attacking since 12:20, then surely he should have shown up by now. 

“Tikki?” Marinette said, looking down at her purse. “Did you know about this?” 

“About what?” Tikki asked, flying to Marinette’s shoulder.

“There’s an akuma attacking Paris right now.” 

“What? How is Chat Noir doing?” Tikki squinted to read Marinette’s phone.

“He hasn’t shown up yet and it’s been an hour.” Marinette glanced to Tikki with a worried expression.

Tikki frowned. “He hasn’t?”

“No, and I can’t do anything. I can’t leave my hospital room without someone passing by and seeing an empty bed.” Marinette began to panic. “What do we do? Even if Chat Noir shows up, he can’t purify the akuma or revert all the damage on his own.” Marinette’s breath increased, borderlining hyperventilation.

“Don’t panic, Marinette.” Tikki tried to reassure her. “I can go to Master Fu and ask him if he knows where Chat Noir is.” 

“Okay, do that. Be quick, though!” Marinette said as Tikki flew away through the window and towards Master Fu’s home.


	5. Five

Tikki shot into Master Fu’s home in a panic. “Master Fu!” She cried out, causing the old man to turn his head. 

“Ah, there you are Tikki.” Master Fu replied. 

“Where’s Chat Noir? Why isn’t he fighting the akuma?” Tikki rushed out in a panic. 

Master Fu moved his head slightly to the left to reveal Plagg, who was lounging on the table. “Hey, Lovebug.” He said, taking a bite out of cheese. Wayzz sat at the other end of the table, silently watching. 

“Plagg? Why aren’t you with-” Tikki’s eyes widened. 

“Chat Noir has been akumatized.” Master Fu said gravely. 

“What? Then how is Plagg here?”

“His owner never relinquished his power before removing the ring, so Plagg is still bound to him, whether he is akumatized or not.” Master Fu replied. 

“His morning was pretty bad, and it didn’t help when your owner was hit by that car. He took off the ring and put it in his locker to be alone for some reason.” Plagg nodded to the ring sitting beside him. “At first I thought he was going crazy when I heard him talking to himself, but it clicked in my head when I heard him say Hawkmoth’s name.” 

“So how are you here? Why didn’t he take the miraculous from his locker after he was transformed?” Tikki questioned. 

“When I realized what was happening I forced the locker open and took off with the ring.” Plagg scarfed down the rest of his cheese. “I’m not as dumb as you might think, Buggy.” 

“So what do we do? Ladybug won’t be out of the hospital until tomorrow at the earliest, and even then she still won’t be physically healed.” Tikki looked to Master Fu. 

“I believe there is only one option.” Master Fu stood up slowly and hobbled towards the miracle box. He popped it open and watched the compartments slide apart. Tikki hovered over his shoulder. “While usually I would leave this to Marinette, Tikki, you must stand in her place and make a decision.” 

“But-” Tikki glanced nervously at the miraculous. It was rare for a kwami to be handing out a miraculous, let alone without the advice of their wielder. 

“Trust yourself, you are a being of great wisdom.” Master Fu gestured to the box. “I advise you pick those that have proven themselves, as there will be no Ladybug or Chat Noir to guide them.”

“What about purifying the akuma? Or fixing the damage? You can’t possibly expect anyone to be able to fight until Ladybug is out of the hospital.” Tikki hovered closer to the box, considering her options. 

“They may need to take shifts or breaks, but they need not defeat him, lest his akuma be released with no way to capture it. All they must do is distract him and minimize any damages.” Master Fu said. Tikki remained silent as she looked over the miraculous below her. She thought of who had proven themselves thus far. Alya was a prime choice, but no one could fight on their own, and she would need a partner. Nino was an obvious second, but their personal relationship could easily interfere with their ability to remain focused on the task at hand without Ladybug or Chat Noir around to keep them on track.

Her eyes landed on the Bee miraculous. Chloe, while she had improved immeasurably, was still a wild card. Hawkmoth knew her identity, which put her at more risk than Nino or Alya. But venom would be possibly one of the best abilities to minimize damage, albeit for a short time. With another person fighting alongside her, the risks that come with her identity could easily be overlooked...

“I’ve decided.” Tikki said. 

“And?” Master Fu raised a brow.

“I would like to use the Bee, Fox, and Turtle miraculous.” Tikki pointed at each of them, landing at Master Fu’s wrist. 

Master Fu nodded his head. “If you think that is best, then very well.” He walked to the other side of the room and produced 3 small black boxes. He slipped off his bracelet, placed it gently in the box, and closed the lid before doing the same with the other two miraculous’ from the box. He opened a drawer and pulled a piece of cloth out, then laid it flat on the table. He wrapped the boxes within the cloth, tying a neat knot at the top. 

Tikki flew over and grabbed held on to the knot. “Thank you, Master Fu.” 

Master Fu smiled. “Do everything in your power to get those back to me, Tikki.” Tikki nodded her head and readied herself to fly through an open window, but paused at the sound of a cough.

“Need any help, Sugarcube?” Plagg said, still lounging on the table. “I’m sure I would be a great help in handing those out.” 

Tikki sighed. “Okay.” She agreed. Plagg flew up and came to her side. “We need to stop by the hospital first, I want to clear this with Ladybug first.”

“Whatever you want.” Plagg winked. Tikki shook her head and shot out the window, leaving Plagg to catch up.


	6. Six

A Nurse stood beside Marinette’s bed, writing something on a clipboard. “How’s that? Does it feel any better?” The Nurse asked. 

“Yeah, I think that’s enough to numb my pain.” Marinette replied. 

The Nurse nodded, clipping the board to the end of Marinette’s bed. “Good, let us know if anything changes.” She left, leaving Marinette alone for only a few seconds before Tikki and Plagg flew through the open window, having been waiting for the Nurse to leave.

“Tikki? Why is Chat Noir’s kwami here?” Marinette raised her eyebrows. 

“Chat Noir is... unable to help.” Tikki replied, putting the boxes down on side table. 

“What? Why?” 

Tikki paused, debating whether or not to lie, knowing she couldn’t say the real reason. “He lost his ring.” Plagg cut in, lying without hesitation. “So Master Fu gave us some miraculous to hand out.” 

“He lost his ring?” Marinette frowned. “How?” 

“He really is quite clumsy.” Plagg replied. 

“Never mind that, Marinette, I want your opinion on the miraculous I brought from Master Fu.” Tikki pointed to the boxes. “We have the bee, fox, and turtle miraculous. I was thinking of giving them to Chloe, Alya, and Nino, as they already know how to use them and are less likely to require supervision.” 

Marinette thought it over, running through basically the same points Tikki had at Master Fu’s. “Okay. How will we get the boxes to them, though? I can’t exactly transform and deliver them myself.” 

“Our best option is for Plagg and I to deliver them and explain what they have to do.” Tikki said. “They only need to distract and minimize damages until you’re able to leave the hospital and finish it off.” 

“Wait, but I won’t be fully healed by tomorrow, can I still fight?” Marinette asked. 

“The extent of your injuries will be lessened while transformed, so with the help of everyone else, you’ll be able to capture the akuma quickly.” Tikki answered. Marinette nodded her head in understanding. “We should go quickly, before Truth sends anyone else into a crisis.”

“I’ll take the bee miraculous. Less work for me.” Plagg said, swooping down and grabbing the top box. Tikki shook her head and grabbed the remaining two boxes. 

“I’ll be back after getting these to Nino and Alya.” Tikki said to Marinette before shooting out of window. Plagg followed behind and soon found himself at Tikki’s side. “I don’t know how you lied so easily.” 

“It wasn’t really a lie. It’s not like he knows where the ring is now. If he goes looking for it, he won’t find it. So technically he did lose it.” Plagg said with a wink before taking a sharp left in the direction of the Grand Paris Hotel. Tikki sighed as she flew above Paris, far enough up to be mistaken for a small, red bird, or a massive insect. Nino’s house was closest to the hospital, so she figured she would start there. She approached a window to find Nino’s family sitting on a couch before a Tv, sans Nino. Tikki moved to the next window, finding herself at what seemed to be Nino’s bedroom which was empty. She checked every window, finding no sign of Nino. 

Giving up on Nino’s house, Tikki began her flight to Alya’s home. The first window she came upon was Alya’s bedroom, which thankfully contained Alya and Nino. Tikki placed the boxes on the window ledge and tried prying the window open to no avail. She frowned before backing up and throwing herself at the window, making a loud sound. Alya glanced up, looking at the window. Tikki hid herself below the window as Alya approached and pulled the window open, seeing the boxes. “Are these...?” She said, picking them both up.  
Tikki shot up and flew through the window, shooting past Alya who jumped. “Alya Cesaire, Nino Lahiffe, I have brought you both the miraculous of the Fox and Turtle.” She said, coming to a stop in the middle of the room. Nino sat up from the bed, eyebrows raised. 

“Woah, are you a kwami?” Alya said, slowly approaching Tikki. “Wait, are you... Ladybug’s kwami?” 

“I am. My name is Tikki. Ladybug has sent me to deliver these miraculous to those who she trusts as she and Chat Noir are out of service temporarily.” Tikki replied.  
“Out of service...? What do you mean?” Nino asked. 

“I can not go into detail, but Ladybug needs you to work with Queen Bee to hold Truth back and distract him until Ladybug is able to return to battle and capture the akuma.” 

“So we’re fighting without Ladybug or Chat Noir? Like really on our own?” Alya handed Nino one of the boxes. 

“Yes. You don’t need to defeat him, in fact, you should avoid freeing the akuma at all costs. Just hold him off. Take turns and rest if you need to.” Tikki advised. 

“Oh no, I won’t be able to visit Marinette in the hospital until after this is all over.” Alya sighed. She noticed Tikki looking at her. “We were going to visit our friend Marinette because she was hit by a car earlier today. Last we heard she’s going to be okay, but I still want to see her.” She clarified. Tikki nodded her head. For a brief moment, Tikki was worried she may connect the dots between Ladybug’s disappearance and Marinette’s hospitalization. 

“Maybe you could visit her if you need to take a break from fighting.” Nino suggested as he opened his box and took the bracelet out. He slipped it on and watched a green orb  
before him that quickly shifted into being Wayzz. Alya dropped the necklace around her shoulders, watching Trixx appear in the same manner. 

Tikki watched the scene before nodding her head to the two kwamis. “Good luck, Carapace and Rena Rouge. Ladybug will retrieve your miraculous from you once she has defeated Truth.” She said, waving farewell before leaving through the window. 

Several blocks away, Plagg found himself hovering near the roof of the Grand Paris Hotel, where Chloe laid on a reclined lawn chair, napping. Her Queen Bee signal was on, shining into the sky. Plagg considered just dropping the box on Chloe and flying away so that he wouldn’t have to explain anything. But he knew that would get him into trouble with Tikki if she ever found out. 

So, reluctantly he flew down closer and dropped the box onto Chloe’s stomach but didn’t fly away. Chloe jumped slightly before sitting up. “Oh, _finally_. You’re here-” She said, taking her sunglasses off. Her eyes widened at the sight of Plagg. “Ew! A bat!” 

“A bat?” Plagg looked down at himself. “Nope, don’t think that’s what I am.” 

“Oh! Oh!” She waved her hand to him, looking down at the box on her lap. “Are you a kwami? Like Pollen?” 

“You got it.” Plagg watched as she opened the box and pulled out the comb. 

“Why isn’t Chat Noir or Ladybug delivering this to me?” She looked up sceptically. 

“Ladybug and Chat Noir can’t fight right now, so they need you, Rena Rouge, and Carapace to hold Truth off until Ladybug can come back and get the akuma or whatever.” Plagg answered. 

“I knew they would need me again.” Chloe said smugly, slipping the comb into her hair. Pollen appeared before her, bowing. 

“Hello again, My Queen.” Pollen said. 

“Someone will come get your miraculous from you once everything is done. Take breaks or whatever when you need to. Don’t free the akuma, etc etc. Got it?” Plagg rushed through the list.

“Yeah, yeah. Sounds easy.” Chloe looked eagerly to Pollen. “Buzz on!” She said, transforming at the first possible moment. Satisfied with his job, Plagg flew away, ready to take a nap at Master Fu’s.


	7. Seven

Lila was not one to feel weak, as a matter of fact, she usually felt stronger than most people. Even if she needed to look weak in front of other people to get away with something, she always knew deep down that she was more than that, that she was strong. But not now. Now she was sitting on the floor of her bedroom, staring down at her hands. Each breath she took came out shaky and unsure. The image of her reflection echoed in her mind. It had been hours since, and yet it felt imprinted in her head. 

She rose from the floor and stood before her mirror, her eyes clamped shut. She breathed in and out over and over again until her breath came out stable. Her eyes came open, and she reached out and touched her own reflection. It was normal, it was her. And yet, in the back of her mind she could still only see herself as the monster shown to her earlier. She felt her heartbeat increase, so she turned from the mirror and sat upon her bed. Lila pulled out her phone and checked the news, desperately hoping for Ladybug or Chat Noir to have arrived by now. 

But to no avail. Truth was still wreaking havoc on Paris without anyone to stop him. Lila had never been afraid of an akuma, even before Hawkmoth had ever contacted her. They gave great inspiration for lies that would garner concern, but she became even less concerned as she grew a healthy hatred for Ladybug. This was the first time she ever wanted Ladybug and Chat Noir to save Paris. To set everything back. But of course this was the time they wouldn’t show up at all. How pathetic! This should be an easy akuma for them to beat, right? 

Footsteps thumping on the roof above her brought her out of her hate and worry induced trance. She sprung up and ran to her window, pulling the blinds up. Frantically she looked around, terrified that Truth had returned for her. She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Queen Bee jump from her roof and across the street. Someone had finally shown up. But... Chloe? Why is Chloe here? Does that mean that Ladybug has also arrived? Lila pulled out her phone again and checked. No. No Ladybug or Chat Noir still. But, Carapace and Rena Rouge had just arrived, and evidently Queen Bee was on her way.

Queen Bee smiled to herself as she ran across roofs. This was the first time she had wielded the miraculous and fought against an akuma under Ladybug’s directions _without_ Ladybug. It felt amazing just to run on her own. Last she heard, Truth was near the Eiffel Tower, and so she was on her way there. Her mind raced with all the ways she could hold off Truth. Hypothetically, she could use venom, run off and rest, then rinse and repeat. But she wasn’t sure if it was feasible, or if Pollen would suffer at all from that method. 

It was possible for her to try and use her personal knowledge of Adrien to her advantage. It became very, very clear that he was the one behind the mirror after what happened to Lila earlier that day. She didn’t have to hide her identity, and so, while usually this would put her at a disadvantage, here it may benefit her.

She came to a brisk halt at the edge of a roof. Before her laid the clearing around the Eiffel Tower. Rena Rouge and Carapace both fought Truth, doing everything in their power to avoid looking into their reflection. Queen Bee wasn’t afraid at all of her reflection. What’s the worst she could see? The best super hero Paris has? Regardless, she considered her options. She could dive down and fight him with the other two, but then what about when they need to rest? They can’t all go on forever until Ladybug shows up. She could wait up here until one of them seemed to tire, then swoop down and replace them, but how would she communicate that to them? 

She sighed, knowing she had to go straight into battle just to get that idea across. She jumped down from the rooftop and broke into a sprint the second she landed. She came up fast behind Truth as she stuck out her leg, taking out his knees and knocking him over. She continued running until she was close to Carapace and Rena Rouge, Truth just starting to stand back up. “Listen, since we don’t know how much time it’ll take Ladybug to show up and clean it all up, we should take turns fighting so someone can always rest.” 

“That’s what we were thinking too.” Rena Rouge said, running towards Truth, going diagonal to avoid the mirror. 

“Oh.” Queen Bee huffed. She had felt very smart coming up with that idea, but not so much anymore. “I guess I’ll be on standby until you two eventually need help, since I know you will.” She said, taking off to a nearby hiding spot. Truth noticed her run away and broke off from his duel with Rena Rouge to follow her. 

“Not so fast.” Carapace said, throwing his shield towards Truth. Truth halted for a moment, startled by the shield, just long enough for Rena Rouge to catch up to him and distract him long enough for Queen Bee to escape. 

“With Queen Bee lingering around, you may have more trouble defeating these two. If you find a moment, it may be wise to slip away and find Queen Bee and take her down while she’s on her own.” Hawkmoth said telepathically to Truth. “Use her identity against her.” Hawkmoth had been idly watching by, giving more advice to his son than he gave most akumatized victims. It had been hours, though, and the lack of Ladybug and Chat Noir was growing frustrating. 

For whatever reason, it had taken several hours just for the b-side group of heroes to arrive. Hawkmoth struggled to think of a reason as to why his main targets had yet to show up. With the arrival of this trio, perhaps Ladybug and Chat Noir were training these newer heroes and giving them a chance on their own. But still, it had been so long, and he imagined they would have been sent in much sooner, and the main two would have arrived to wrap it all up. 

For Truth, it was even more confusing. He had absolutely no idea as to why Ladybug had yet to show. He hadn’t the slightest idea why Rena Rouge, Carapace, and Queen Bee showed up. Did Ladybug give out the miraculous herself? Or did Master Fu do it without her? Did something happen to Ladybug? Was she...

No, Ladybug would show up eventually. He was sure of it. There was no other way for this battle to end. These three heroes would grow tired eventually and be unable to capture his akuma, assuming they even managed to defeat him. Ladybug was the only ending to this in every way. 

But if something did happen to Ladybug, would Master Fu send in a replacement wielder? Would someone else come in his Ladybug’s place? He figured the answer was no, as it would be a surprise for Master Fu to trust someone new with such a sought after item. And yet, the thought still lingered in his mind.


	8. Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long to get out! I've been very busy in the past couple weeks, so it shouldn't take this long again!

It took a long time for Queen Bee to come back to battle. She had been watching carefully from afar, and so she witnessed the exact moment she would need to swap herself in. 4 hours had passed of the superhero couple fighting Truth before either side began to falter. So far, Carapace and Rena Rouge had done well to avoid seeing their own reflections, looking at Truth’s chest rather than his face, but it was inevitable that one of them would slip up and allow their eyes to land on their own reflection. 

Rena Rouge felt her breath catch in her throat as her eyes fell upon her reflection. Her attack wavered, giving Truth the chance to knock her down. Once her eyes were locked onto the mirror, she couldn’t take them off. Black ropes began emerging from the ground, keeping her still. Carapace ran forward, lunging for Truth. Truth dodged his attack all while keeping his face to Rena Rouge. “I see it now, Alya.” Truth said, now able to see past her disguise. Though his mirror only showed Rena Rouge’s distorted, negative reflection, Truth was more than able to know her identity. “You crave attention, desperate for people to read your articles.” He said, dodging another attack from Carapace. 

“Leave her alone.” Carapace yelled out, launching punch after punch that couldn’t hit Truth’s agile form. His panic over Rena Rouge’s fate dulled his focus, making it harder and harder to aim. 

“And you?” Truth’s head finally faced away from Rena Rouge, catching Carapace off guard. Truth felt a pit form deep down. Now that Carapace had seen his reflection, Truth was able to see that this was Nino. His best friend. How could he never have noticed this? Alya and Nino. Of course, who else would be by Alya’s side?

But he had to push the dread down and continue his fight. Carapace’s reflection was far different than Rena Rouge’s. It showed a very young child, whining. “All play and no work. You see things through the eyes of a child and nothing more, Nino.” Truth said as the ropes began holding Carapace’s feet in place, dragging him to the ground. 

“Although they are not Ladybug and Chat Noir, take their miraculous before Queen Bee returns.” Hawkmoth’s voice said in Truth’s head. In one quick motion, Truth ripped the necklace off of Rena Rouge, who was still held in place. He turned and took a step towards Carapace’s now incapacitated form and reached for his bracelet. 

“Shell-ter!” Carapace cried out as the green shield enveloped his form. He looked fearfully to Alya, who was just barely out of range of his shelter. She was held to the ground, now transformed back. 

“That won’t help you for long. 5 minutes and you’ll be powerless all together.” Truth said, slipping the fox miraculous into a nearly invisible pocket on his side just as Queen Bee landed behind him. 

Queen Bee had done her best to get back as soon as things went south, but it took no more than a minute for Truth to incapacitate them and take Alya’s miraculous, and it wasn’t an easy feat getting down from her hiding spot. “That doesn’t belong to you.” Queen Bee said, trying to reach into the pocket on Truth’s side. He jumped out of the way and swung his leg out, trying to kick Queen Bee’s legs out from under her. She jumped up and flipped backwards, landing on her feet. 

Queen Bee put in a strong effort to ignore the shock in discovering the identities of her fellow superheroes. “Dodge your reflection all you want, I don’t need it to know who you are.” Truth said, lodging attacks at Queen Bee as she dodged. 

“Uh, yeah, no duh.” She rolled her eyes, ducking low to the ground. “Listen, I know you think you know my weaknesses or whatever, but you don’t.” She launched up and landed a punch in Truth’s abdomen. He recoiled for just a moment before grabbing her wrist and twisting it sharply, earning a cry from Queen Bee.

“I don’t need to see your reflection to know you’re weak. You pretend to be a leader, but you’re nothing but a shallow follower, Chloe.” Truth gripped Chloe’s other wrist as she thrust her fist towards the mirror. 

“You’re wrong. That’s not who I am.” Queen Bee clenched her fists, struggling against Truth’s grip. She kept her face turned away from Truth’s mirror. 

“Why are you so afraid to look at yourself, then? I won’t give you a chance to use venom. You have nowhere else to turn-” Truth was cut off by Queen Bee’s knee connecting with his lower abdomen. His grip loosened, giving Queen Bee just enough time to rip her hands away. 

“I don’t know if you show the truth, or just the worst image of someone, but I don’t care to look at your mirror.” Queen Bee said, landing a punch against his chest. The sudden distraction was enough for the ropes around Carapace to loosen, allowing him to slip out. He shot up, his mind still fuzzy with his reflection, but he pushed past it. His shield dissipated as he looked to Alya, who remained glued to the ground. 

Truth backed up quickly. He knew Carapace had no more than 2 minutes left before he detransformed. If he held the pair off for just a little bit, it would be so very easy to retrap Nino and leave this a one on one between Truth and Queen Bee. He kept his attacks defensive and evasive, dodging, ducking, and jumping away until he heard the vital, final beep from Carapace’s bracelet. 

“I need to get out of here.” Carapace said, looking to Queen Bee. She nodded her head and launched an attack in the hopes of allowing Carapace an easy escape route. Truth ignored Queen Bee’s attacks and ran after Carapace. 

“Venom!” Queen Bee shouted out. She lunged after Truth, her spinning top aimed for him. Truth suddenly jerked to the side and spun around. He kicked the top out of Queen Bee’s hand and landed a punch directly in her face as the top skittered away across the ground. Carapace ran for Alya, her body now freed from the ropes. He grabbed onto her and carried her away, fleeing as fast as possible. 

Truth ignored the pair and focused his energy on taking down Queen Bee. He reached for her face with both hands and ripped her head to face him, finally forcing her eyes to lock onto her reflection. “This is who you are. No matter what you say, this is who you are deep down.” Queen Bee’s fierce expression softened as she scanned the face staring back at her. It was ugly and weak, the makeup was smudged and overstated. The black ropes began wrapping around Queen Bee’s legs as she stared. Truth released her face and reached out for the comb. 

He pulled it from her hair, leaving tangles and knots where it sat. Queen Bee’s costume vanished, leaving Chloe’s usual clothing behind. “Perfect. Now you only need to wait.” Hawkmoth commented, sounding pleased. 

“There’s something I need to do before Ladybug comes.” Truth said. “Is that alright?”

“As long as it doesn’t interfere with getting the miraculous, then go ahead.” Hawkmoth replied. 

Truth nodded and began running towards his goal. There was someone he needed to see. Someone he needed to force to see their true self. It wouldn’t take him long to get there, as he knew the path very well. 

Hopefully his father would be home.


	9. Nine

It took Truth getting 5 blocks away from the mansion for Hawkmoth to figure out where he was headed. “Truth, where are you going?” He asked, worry growing.

“To my house.” Truth replied, keeping a steady pace. 

“To do what?”

“I need to show my father who he truly is.” Truth passed by pedestrians who scattered away at the sight. “And if he isn’t home, then I will tear apart every room until he gets home.” 

Hawkmoth cut off their verbal communication and swore to himself. The idea of Adrien coming home didn’t ever cross his mind. When he akumatized Adrien, the main problem causing his distress was his friend being hit by a car. He didn’t sense an inkling of anger towards himself. Did their fight that morning really affect him that much? 

He rubbed the bridge of his nose, thinking of what to do. If he went downstairs as Gabriel, Truth would just attack him and see Hawkmoth in the reflection, essentially revealing himself. Although...

Would Adrien care? Maybe if he explained _why_ he was doing this, why he wanted the miraculous in the first place... He might understand. Even so, it didn’t really matter what Adrien felt, it mattered only what Truth felt, and he was under the influence of Hawkmoth regardless. It may be best to face Truth before he did any real damage to the mansion. Gabriel felt he may even be able to quell Truth’s anger by apologising before Truth even attempted to attack him. 

“Dark wings fall.” Hawkmoth said, his costume falling away. Gabriel rushed to his elevator and descended to his office. He pushed open the grand doors and found himself in the empty foyer. He glanced around, unsure if Truth had already entered the mansion and was further in, or-

The doors flew open, Truth marching in through them. “Adrien.” Gabriel said. Truth’s head turned to face Gabriel.

“Father.” The rest of his body turned to match his head. “Do you know why I’m here?” 

“I’m sorry for what occurred this morning.” Gabriel apologised, avoiding locking eyes with his reflection.

“Do you even know why you’re sorry? Does it even matter to you?” Truth took a step forward. “Does it ever matter?”

“Of course it matters. I should have let you go to your friend’s birthday party.” Gabriel said. 

“That’s not it. That’s not right.” Truth shook his head lightly. Hearing his son’s voice echo around him, seemingly coming from every direction was unnerving for Gabriel. “You never let me do anything. You make me feel like it’s my fault that you’re over protective. You’re unfair.” Truth ranted. 

“Adrien-” Gabriel was cut off.

“No. You don’t get to speak. For once you need to listen to me, father. I don’t think you’ll ever understand who you are unless you see it for yourself.” Truth said, lunging for his father. Catching Gabriel off guard, Truth managed to grab hold of his father’s frame and draw his attention to the mirror. Despite Gabriel’s best efforts, his eyes were drawn like magnets to his own reflection. 

For a few moments, there was silence. Gabriel stared back at the monstrous version of himself. Truth be told, it didn’t affect him nearly as much as it did everyone else. He didn’t care much for his flaws as they wouldn’t take away from his goal of bringing his wife back, and yet he still felt a twinge in his stomach. 

Truth’s silence was much the opposite. For the first time since being akumatized he felt true horror. Horror that rivalled seeing Marinette struck by a car. “Let me explain.” Gabriel said, knowing what Truth saw in him. 

“You’re Hawkmoth.” Truth said, his grip strong on his father’s arms. Gabriel knew Truth couldn’t properly restrain him with his black ropes if he didn’t care about his reflection, and so he felt a sense of security. 

“Let me explain.” Gabriel said. “I’m doing this for your mother, Adrien. To bring her back.” 

“Bring her back? She’s gone. There’s nothing you can do.” Truth held very still. 

“She’s here. She’s being held in a stasis below us. With the Ladybug and Cat Miraculous I can fix her.” Gabriel tried breaking through to his son.

“Below us? You... How much have you hidden from me?” Truth’s voice raised. “You’ve tried to kill me!” He thought back on the times Hawkmoth had put him in danger, both in costume as Chat Noir and as Adrien. 

“I would never hurt you. This is all for your mother, you must understand.” Gabriel pled. This wasn’t going as planned at all. How could Adrien not see that this all benefitted him? 

Truth’s mind was racing, distorted by the akuma within him. It felt as if his mind was ripped in two. Half screamed to take his father’s miraculous, get revenge for all the pain that he has inflicted on his own son, not to mention all of Paris. The other half told him to remember his allegiance to Hawkmoth, remember the akuma. But if he took the miraculous... There would be no one to answer to. No one would be in control of him. 

Gabriel sensed the turmoil in his son. He was fully prepared when his son reached his hand out towards his miraculous. He swiftly moved his arm up, blocking Truth. “What do you think you’re doing?” Gabriel asked, gripping Truth’s wrist.

“I’m taking your miraculous.” Truth released Gabriel’s shoulder from his free hand and readied his arm to punch Gabriel. 

Despite Gabriel’s increasing age, it was not difficult for him to dodge the attack. He ducked under his son’s arm and landed a hit on Truth’s stomach. Truth freed Gabriel in response, allowing him to momentarily slip away. “Do you know all the people you’ve hurt? All the things you’ve destroyed?” Truth said, recoiling from the punch. 

“Everything I’ve done, it’s been for your mother, for you.” Gabriel plead. 

“For me?” Truth echoed. “Don’t pass this to me. You’re barely a father to me most days, don’t act like this is for me.” He ran straight for Gabriel, catching him off guard. Truth’s words began to sting. Gabriel had to remind himself that this wasn’t really Adrien. These weren’t really his words. They were a twisted, angered version of his words. Gabriel knew surely he didn’t feel this way. 

But deep down, beyond the reach of the akuma’s powers, Adrien felt a tinge of satisfaction as he ripped the butterfly miraculous from his father. Once he would have felt appalled at the idea of attacking his own father, but with his newly acquired knowledge, he felt that this was a must, something done for the greater good. The akuma’s affect covered up the partial guilt Adrien would have felt over his actions, leaving him with a sense of completion.


	10. Ten

“What do I do? Rena Rouge and Queen Bee are out of commission, and Carapace is nowhere to be seen.” Marinette looked anxiously to Tikki before glancing down at her phone. “Last time Adrie- I mean Truth- was seen was near his mansion, what is he doing there?” 

“I don’t know, Marinette. Do you want me to talk to Master Fu again?” Tikki suggested. 

“What could he do at this point? We’ve used all the people with experience, and I don’t think sending out someone who’s never used a miraculous completely on their own is a good idea.” Marinette groaned. “And even if Master Fu wanted to fight himself, he doesn’t have the turtle miraculous with him anymore.”

The door to Marinette’s room opened as Tikki dove behind the bed. “Hi, Marinette. I just wanted to let you know that we’re going to go into the night shift now, so if you need anything hit the help button. Otherwise we won’t bother you until morning.” A Nurse said, poking her head in the room. 

“Okay, thank you.” Marinette nodded her head as the nurse closed the door. Marinette looked down at her lap for a moment before swinging her legs off the bed and sitting up. 

“What are you doing?” Tikki asked.

“If no one is going to notice I’m gone until morning then this could be my only chance to fight Truth myself.” Marinette carefully stood up, swaying a little. 

“What? You can’t.” Tikki protested, following behind Marinette as she approached the window. 

“What other option is there? My injuries won’t be as noticeable with I’m transformed, right?” Marinette slid the window open.

“Technically, but you could make it worse and not notice until you’ve detransformed.” Tikki said. “And not to mention you’re going into this alone. Chat Noir won’t appear.” 

“I have to do this, Tikki. I can’t just sit back and watch. I’m everyone’s last chance.” Marinette leaned out of the window slightly and breathed in the night air. “You need to trust me. There’s no other options, you know that.” 

Tikki sighed. “Marinette you need to promise me you will do your best to protect yourself. Don’t let the fact that it’s Adrien under the costume distract you or make you any weaker.”

“What? I would never-” Marinette swung around to face Tikki, her cheeks growing red. “I won’t. He isn’t Adrien right now.” She turned back to the window. “Spots on.” With the bright pink flash she leapt from the window and landed on a nearby rooftop. Breaking into a sprint towards the mansion, she thought through her plan. No doubt if Truth was spotted around his mansion earlier he would be there now, just what he was doing within it’s walls she couldn’t fathom. Was he looking for his father? Was he getting one of his belongings? She wouldn’t know until she got there herself. Hopefully he would still be there. 

She soon found herself standing on the rooftop across the street from the Agreste mansion. Everything looked normal from the exterior, but for all she knew it was a disaster inside. She decided her best option would be to enter through the front door, by force if necessary. She swung down and landed before the grand doors, shocked to find them unlocked and easily opened. 

The heads of Gabriel Agreste and Truth twisted to face the doors at the sound of their opening. A look of shock fell over Gabriel. He was against the floor, clutching his stomach. Truth stood over him, clutching something in his fist. “Ladybug.” Truth said. His ethereal voice shocked Ladybug. It felt like he was in everywhere, even within her own mind. “What took you so long?” 

“That doesn’t concern you. Step away from your father.” She commanded. Truth shook his head. From where she stood, Ladybug could see the bright red reflection of her suit, but it was far too blurry to make out her own face or anything else. 

“This man isn’t my father.” He stepped back from Gabriel, who laid pathetically and defeated on the floor.

“What?” Ladybug drew her yoyo, ready to defend herself in case Truth attacked suddenly. 

“Do you recognise this?” He said, opening his fist and displaying a small, purple brooch. Ladybug froze, then glanced from the brooch to Gabriel.

“The butterfly miraculous?”

“Ladybug, meet Hawkmoth.” Truth gestured to Gabriel. 

Ladybug took a second to take everything in. “But you’re under his control. Why would you...” 

“It’s honestly a little ironic that we’re here together right now. But you wouldn’t understand why, I guess.” Truth slipped the brooch into his pocket. “I’ve waited a long, long time to know who you are under your mask.” 

Ladybug raised her eyebrows. “ _You’ve_ waited a long time? I don’t understand.” 

“Of course you don’t.” Truth shrugged slightly. “Maybe this was inevitable.” 

“We don’t have to fight, if you hand over the brooch, everything will be okay.” Ladybug tried to reason with him. “You aren’t under his control anymore.” 

“You’re right. I’m not. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have my own motives.” Truth lunged towards Ladybug, his fist extended. Just as before, if Adrien could see himself now he would be so, so very disgusted. He would never fight Ladybug. But he was barely himself anymore. A shadow of the boy he was, twisted and distorted. Ladybug jumped out of the way, landing softly on her feet. 

“We really don’t have to fight.” Ladybug repeated herself, feeling a pain in the back of her head from the sudden motion. 

“Let me see your face, then. Let me see who you are.” He ran towards her again. Ladybug threw her yoyo out, hitting it hard against the upper corner of his mirror. A tiny, barely noticeable crack appeared. Truth reached up and grazed his fingers over the crack, shaking his head. “That won’t do anything.”

“It was worth a shot.” Ladybug said, throwing her yoyo up and wrapping it around one of the lights. The fact that she was able to damage the mirror meant it was probably his weak spot, and maybe even where the akuma is. Even if she could just crack it to the point where he wouldn’t be able to make out her face, she would be able to fight him closer. 

She swung herself overhead, launching herself to the top of the stairs. Truth’s head twisted around to follow her movement. Keeping her distance was really her only option. Even if Truth wouldn’t remember her identity once defeated, there was still the issue of Gabriel, or rather, Hawkmoth knowing her identity. She took another shot with her yoyo, aiming for the middle of the mirror. Truth dodged and ran up the stairs towards Ladybug. She began to back up, taking more shots at his mirror for every step he took. By the time he reached the top of the stairs, Ladybug had only managed to hit the mirror once more, spreading the pre existing crack ever so slightly. She had backed herself up into a corner. 

Truth suddenly ran towards her. Ladybug looked to her right, keeping her face away from him as she thrust out her fist, aiming for the mirror. Truth caught her punch and held on to her wrist tightly. He used his other hand to quickly grab her jaw and force her to face him. Ladybug’s heart dropped. She saw herself, rather, she saw Marinette, jealous, obsessive Marinette. She looked sad and pathetic, nothing more than a girl with an impossible crush. 

Truth didn’t care for what Ladybug saw. No, he only cared for who _he_ saw. And that, of course, was his classmate. Marinette Dupain-Cheng.


	11. Eleven

Truth was stunned into silence. More than one question was raised in his mind. The most glaring of which being _Marinette_? She’s Ladybug. Not someone who he’d never met before, not even someone who he’d met only in passing. Someone who he saw nearly every day, and considered to be one of his best friends. 

The second most pressing question was that of her presence at all. Why wasn’t she in the hospital? Is that why it took her so long to show up? Down beneath the Akuma’s reaches, Adrien felt pure guilt and sympathy. This girl was hit by a car earlier today, and yet here she is fighting him. He didn’t even know the extent of her injuries. For all he knew she could be dying.

Marinette was nothing but a pleasant presence in Adrien’s eyes, and so he felt awful showing her this purely negative version of herself. She didn’t deserve that, did she? But as always, it didn’t matter what Adrien felt. It only mattered what Truth felt. 

To be honest, Truth was unsure of what he wanted now. With his ties to Hawkmoth more than severed, his motives were solely left to him. He found Ladybug’s identity. Did he want to defeat her? Take her earrings and run off? The only thing he was sure of was that he did not want to lose his powers. He did not want to lose the ability to correct people. 

Ladybug took several deep breaths, trying to keep her mind off of the reflection before her. The black ropes appearing from the ground had a hard time attaching to Ladybug as she wasn’t falling to despair. _This isn’t me_ She repeated in her head over and over again. It was a warped image of her, only her most negative qualities, not a true reflection. 

“I can’t believe neither of us noticed sooner.” Truth said. He let out a small, terribly ominous laugh.

“Noticed what sooner? What would I have noticed?” Ladybug asked, still focusing on anything but her reflection. 

“Master Fu didn’t tell you? Your kwami didn’t either?” He tilted his head slightly. “No one said why Chat Noir wouldn’t come?” 

“He lost his ring.” Ladybug said, her voice growing strained. Truth simply fell silent, holding onto her wrist and jaw. Ladybug blinked, then gasped. “You’re Chat Noir?” She said. A black rope took hold around her ankle in her moment of shock. She glanced downwards, searching for the cat miraculous to no avail. Another rope reached up and grasped her wrist holding her yoyo. A million thoughts raced through her head. _No one told me? Tikki and Plagg lied to me?_ and most pressing _I rejected him because I had a crush on him._

Her train of thought was interrupted by the sound of a window crashing. Truth’s head twisted to face the source of the noise, breaking the trance between himself and Ladybug. Carapace dove through one of the grand windows in the foyer and landed with a roll. The distraction was enough for Ladybug to rip her hand from Truth’s grasp. She landed a punch on the side of his head, causing him to stumble backwards. 

“I’m sorry that we failed earlier, Ladybug.” Carapace said, bearing his shield before him. “I came as soon as I read that you were spotted on your way here.” 

“Th-thank you, Carapace.” Ladybug said, trying to shake off the shock still within her. As Truth stumbled backwards, he found himself coming into contact with the railing. Carapace began running up the stairs, and Ladybug approached Truth slowly. “Give me the miraculous’ you have. You beat Hawkmoth, if you let us purify the akuma, it will be all over.” She said softly. “Please, Chatton.” She said very quietly. 

He could see Carapace nearing the top of the stairs, about to turn and reach him. Ladybug held out her hands. Truth saw only one option. He flipped backwards over the railing, landing with a heavy thud on his feet. Ladybug reacted immediately, following suit and leaping over the railing. But by the time she landed, Truth was already speeding out of the door. Carapace used his shield to slide down the railing against the stairs. The two superheroes followed Truth outside, where Ladybug threw her yoyo and wrapped it around Truth’s arm. She pulled back, hard, causing Truth to fall backwards. 

Carapace continued to run forward, his shield extended, ready to smash the mirror. Truth saw his imminent defeat, and in one last attempt, he reached into his pocket and grabbed the 3 miraculous he had taken. Ladybug watched as he threw them, scattering them through the air. Carapace’s shield was already less than an inch away from Truth’s mirror before he realized what had just happened. The sound of the jewellery landing was covered by the sound of the mirror smashing. 

Ladybug watched as the akuma fluttered out from one of the cracks in the mirror. She pulled her yoyo back, unwrapping it from Truth’s arm. Capturing the akuma was more important than recollecting the miraculous. She threw her yoyo out towards the akuma as Truth’s costume began to disappear, leaving behind Adrien. Ladybug caught the akuma and purified it, releasing it as usual. Adrien laid on the ground, clearly confused. Rubbing his head, he sat up. 

“Why am I-” He looked around, noticing Carapace beside him and Ladybug behind him. “Ladybug? Carapace?” 

Ladybug didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know if he would have any recollection of what happened, but evidently he didn’t. “Carapace, please go search for the miraculous.” She instructed, not looking at Adrien. 

“On it.” Carapace said, climbing over the wall surrounding the mansion to where the miraculous were thrown. 

“Was I akumatized?” Adrien asked, a look of terror in his eyes. 

Ladybug pursed her lips and bent down, crouching before Adrien. “Adrien, there is a lot I need to explain, but I can’t do it right now, not here.” She said, feeling awful at the prospect of having to explain his father’s identity. 

“Why not? Ladybug, I-” Adrien said. 

“I’ll explain it all later. Soon.” Ladybug knew she would have to handle this with tact, and she would need to push aside any of her feelings for Adrien and his secret identity. The fact he is Chat Noir would have to take the backseat while she dealt with his father.   
Carapace popped his head over the wall. “Uh, Ladybug, I don’t know if it’s because it’s dark or something, but I can’t find the butterfly miraculous.” He said, holding up the fox and bee miraculous. 

“What? Let me look.” Ladybug used her yoyo to vault over the wall, leaving Adrien alone with the words _can’t find the butterfly miraculous_ running through his head.

Within the mansion, Gabriel struggled to stand up. He clutched his abdomen and let out a groan. The front doors had been left open, allowing him to see his son sitting on the ground. It was too dark outside to be sure, but Ladybug and Carapace were likely nearby. He had little time to flee, if he were properly caught, it would be over for him. He struggled his way over to his office and pulled the painting away from the wall and entered his safe code. He popped the safe open and grabbed as much as he could from inside, making sure to slip the peacock miraculous into his pocket before closing the safe and returning the painting to the wall. He walked his phone and dialled a number. 

“Nathalie. I will be coming by your house to pick you up. We must flee Paris for the time being.” He said. Without waiting for a response, he hung up the phone and struggled to the foyer once more. As he passed the door, he saw Ladybug helping Adrien up and felt a pang of guilt in his stomach. He didn’t want to leave his son, but it was his only option. One day he would come back, and hopefully by then Adrien would have forgiven him. Gabriel went as fast as he could to the back exit on the mansion. He was gone before anyone had the thought to look for him.

In front of the mansion, Ladybug stood before Adrien. Carapace was still searching for the missing brooch on the other side of the wall. “Why is the butterfly miraculous missing? Why doesn’t Hawkmoth have it?” Adrien asked desperately. 

Ladybug frowned, knowing she couldn’t tip toe around it much longer. “Adrien, while you were akumatized, you came here after defeating Rena Rouge, Queen Bee, and Carapace. When I arrived...” She took a deep breath. “You were standing before your father, holding the Butterfly miraculous.” 

Adrien was silent. “But...” He blinked. “My father?” 

“Your father-” Ladybug gasped. “Oh no. Oh no.” She rushed away from Adrien and into the mansion’s empty foyer. Gabriel was nowhere to be seen. She pulled out her yoyo and slid it open, dialling the emergency police line. “This is Ladybug, Hawkmoth has just been defeated, however he has escaped in his civilian form. I need there to be a search started for Gabriel Agreste.” She rushed out, feeling a pit in her stomach. 

Adrien stood in the doorway behind her, having followed her. He watched as she said a few more words into the phone before sliding it shut. She turned around, a look of fear on her face. “My father is Hawkmoth?” Adrien said quietly, not wanting to believe it. 

“I’m so sorry. You told me while you were akumatized. You defeated him.” Ladybug said, walking to Adrien. “Listen, while you were akumatized, you saw-” She cut herself off, seeing Carapace hop over the wall. She shook her head. “I can’t say it here, and you still need to process the news about your father. The police should be on their way, please rest up for the night.” Carapace walked towards the mansion’s entrance. Ladybug lowered her voice to a whisper. “And tomorrow, visit your friend Marinette in the hospital, okay?”

“Visit Marinette?” Adrien said, confused. Ladybug nodded her head before putting her hand on his shoulder and blushing.

“Again, I’m so so sorry you had to find out this way.” She said, pulling her hand back and walking past Adrien to Carapace. 

“It’s nowhere. I can’t find it at all.” Carapace said. Ladybug frowned. 

“We’ll just have to keep looking.” She said. Suddenly, she flinched in pain. She rubbed the back of her head. 

“Are you okay?” Carapace asked. 

“Yeah, yeah. Just...” She trailed off. “Can you keep looking for me? And talk to the police once they get here? There’s someone I need to consult.” She said, the pain lingering.   
“Sure.” Carapace nodded before returning to his search. 

Ladybug knew she had to consult Master Fu, it was her last option at this point. If they couldn’t find the Butterfly miraculous, she didn’t know what would happen.


	12. Twelve

Adrien can now say that this day may just have been the absolute worst of his life. It truly stood head to head with the day his mother vanished. He sat on his living room couch with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders while police searched his home. A few minutes earlier he had been told that not only was his father still unfound, but Nathalie appeared to have gone missing as well. It seemed that the Gorilla, however, was completely unaware of Gabriel’s secret identity. 

Not to mention that the butterfly miraculous was still missing. He was afraid that Gabriel managed to get it back as he fled. That would be ridiculous, of course, as he was within the mansion and had no way of getting to the brooch without being seen. Adrien had searched for the miraculous himself with Carapace as they waited for the police to arrive, but of course to no avail. A part of him wanted to feel happy at having defeated Hawkmoth, but it felt like a hollow victory. He didn’t remember anything said to him by his father while he was akumatized, he didn’t know his reasoning, his motives, absolutely nothing. 

He had watched as Carapace spoke to the police, who soon interviewed Adrien. Not that he was much help, of course. He couldn’t tell them anything of use. He hadn’t truly suspected his father of being Hawkmoth. There was a sharp difference between being a less than ideal parent and being a super villain. As Adrien watched the police search for clues, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He slipped it out and saw a notification for a text from an unknown number. He unlocked his phone and read the message. 

_Adrien,_

_I feel nothing but sorrow in having to leave you, but you must understand it was the only option. I can only assume you remember little to nothing from your time akumatized, and therefore I will explain what occurred to you. It is true that I am Hawkmoth, but I promise you that the reasons behind my actions are not sinister. Your mother is still here. She is in a stasis in the basement below my office. In front of the portrait of your mother there is a hidden elevator. I will leave it up to you to find your way down. Do not, under any circumstances, remove your mother from the coffin she is in. My goal as Hawkmoth was to revive her. If she is left in the coffin, she will remain in more or less a comatose state._

_I never wanted to akumatize you, I didn’t believe it would ever come to that, but I have been fighting for so long, and your emotions were so strongly negative. I am sorry for upsetting you this morning, and I give you my deepest sympathies for what happened to your friend. You were the most promising akuma I have ever seen. I know the words you said to me were from the akuma’s influence, and I will not let them affect me deeply. Without the miraculous I am no longer Hawkmoth, but I will still continue in my efforts to revive your mother. I never meant any harm to you. I hope to one day return to your forgiveness._

_-Gabriel._

Adrien pursed his lips as he read through the lengthy message. He felt mixed emotions. It was hard for him to grasp the idea of hating his father. He didn’t hate him, did he? Yes, he hated Hawkmoth, and yes, his father was less than perfect, but it was near impossible to say he hated his father. 

But he knew forgiveness was out of the picture. If Gabriel returned one day, he would not be able to forget everything he had done, regardless of his motives. Hearing his mother was still technically alive was a relief, even if she was trapped in a comatose state. He wanted nothing more than to go see her for the first time in ages. But he knew he had a responsibility to do before hand. He stood up from the couch and gathered the attention of a nearby police officer. “I just got a text from my father.” He announced. 

Several officers rushed to Adrien, taking the phone from the boy and reading it over. Another sent the message and phone number to the station, hoping to be able to track the unknown number’s location. As the officers fawned over Adrien’s phone, he made his way silently to his father’s office. He searched before the portrait of his mother, looking for the hidden elevator. He stood in front of his father’s design tablet and felt around the ground with his feet, noticing a very slight dip in the ground below him. He looked down and saw the faintest outline of a circle in the floor. 

He rocked back and forth on his feet, applying various pressure to the ground until he suddenly felt the floor shift slightly and begin moving down. As he descended in the elevator, a specific line from the text ran through his head. _Without the miraculous I am no longer Hawkmoth_ , confirming the fact that Gabriel no longer had the brooch. But that left even more options for where it had gone to. But at least his father no longer had it. 

Adrien could see through the glass of the elevator that the room was massive and filled with plants. In the distance, he could make out what he assumed to be a coffin. A few white butterflies flew around Adrien as he exited the elevator. Hopefully he would have enough time before the police figured out how to get down here as well. He made his way across the massive room, crossing a bridge before coming upon the coffin. Just as he expected, his mother laid within. She looked nothing but peaceful, and like a day hadn’t passed since he last saw her. He placed his hand on the glass and felt an outpour of emotion for everything that had happened. 

He collapsed against the coffin and sobbed into his arm, allowing himself to grieve.


	13. Thirteen

Marinette sat anxiously in her hospital bed the next morning. Her fingers tapped against her lap in an erratic fashion. She had gone to Master Fu the night before to let him know everything that had happened. At first he was relieved to hear Hawkmoth had been defeated, but as soon as the news of the brooch’s disappearance came to his attention, his relief fell. The second she mentioned the pain in her head Master Fu practically forced her to leave, demanding she return to the hospital and detransform, and that he would deal with searching for the brooch for the time being. 

When she had climbed through the window and detransformed, the pain only increased. She could tell what remained of the painkillers in her system were having trouble masking the damage she did to herself that night. She collapsed onto her bed and passed out within minutes. 

Now, she watched a Nurse checking her vitals and writing down the results on a clipboard. “Somehow it appears your concussion has gotten worse overnight.” She noted. “Have the painkillers kicked in yet?” 

“I think so.” Marinette said, feeling the onset of pain relief. The nurse nodded her head. 

“Okay, don’t forget to call for help if it gets worse.” She said as she left the room. Marinette sighed. She didn’t know if Adrien would visit her today, and if he did, she wasn’t sure how to go about it. She had to say she knew who he was, she couldn’t go on acting like she didn’t. And it wasn’t fair to him for her to know his secret identity without him having a clue of hers.

A rush of emotions flooded over Marinette. Chat Noir _liked_ Ladybug. In other words, Adrien liked Marinette. More or less. The details were complicated, but the most she could hope for would be for Adrien’s feeling for Ladybug to carry over to her. 

But that isn’t what she should be concerning herself with, she knew. Adrien just found out his father had been terrorizing Paris. She couldn’t imagine how awful that would be. On top of that, Hawkmoth had put Chat Noir in danger so many times, even going as far as trying to kill him. That must be misery to know. 

She didn’t know what Hawkmoth’s motives were, but Adrien probably did. She wasn’t sure if anytime soon would be appropriate to ask him about it, or if she should wait until the initial shock potentially wore off. 

Her train of thought was interrupted by a knock at the door. She glanced over to see Adrien standing in the doorway, a weak smile on his face. “Hi, Marinette.” He said. 

“Adri-!” She rushed out before catching herself. “Adrien, hi.” She knew she shouldn’t have been so shocked to see him here, but his sudden appearance left her heart beating faster. 

“How are you feeling?” Adrien asked, stepping into the room. 

“I’m okay. But my concussion has gotten worse, apparently.” She shrugged. 

“Oh, how?” He frowned, standing a few feet away from Marinette’s bed. 

“I...I’m not sure. I wasn’t really listening when they were talking about it.” She smiled sheepishly. This wasn’t the time to say ‘ _Oh, it only happened when I snuck out of here last night and fought you as Ladybug_ ’.

“Do you know when you’re supposed to get out?” He said. 

“It depends on if my concussion gets worse or better in the next day.” Marinette replied. She noticed him standing awkwardly and pointed to a chair in the corner. “You can pull that chair over if you want.” 

“Sure.” He said, bringing the chair beside Marinette’s bed and sitting down. “Do you remember what happened?” Adrien asked, looking concerned. Marinette’s eyes went wide. Did he know? How did he know? And... why wouldn’t she remember last night? Because of her concussion? “When you got hit, I mean.” He followed up after watching her face go into shock. 

“Oh!” Marinette nearly wheezed. “Oh, no. I don’t. I only remember rushing out to the street and then waking up here. So I guess I’m kinda lucky.” 

“Yeah...” Adrien trailed off. “You really didn’t have to go after my phone like that, it was Lila’s fault.” 

“Right.” Marinette looked at her lap. 

“I mean, I’m glad my phone isn’t broken, but I would have preferred it be ran over rather than you.” He said. Marinette smiled a little. 

“Thanks.” She said. She continued to stare at her lap, thinking of the best way to go about this. “Um... Last night...” She trailed off, not looking at Adrien. 

“Last night?” He asked, confused. “Oh, you probably heard about my father.” He said, faltering a little. 

“Yeah, but that’s not what I was going to say.” She said. “You don’t remember anything from when you were akumatized, do you?” 

“No, I don’t. I remember seeing the akuma coming, and it going into my phone, but as soon as Hawkmoth-er, my father- started talking to me, my memory faded.” He looked out the window. “Then I remember sitting in front of my house.” 

“That must have been awful.” She sympathised. 

“Yeah, but hearing about my father was worse I would say.” Adrien sighed. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to bring the mood down.” 

“Don’t apologise!” Marinette said, lightly shaking her head. “Really, I... I’m sorry about that. I can’t imagine.” 

“Yeah, well.” Adrien shrugged. “I don’t know what I want to happen. By all means, I want him to be caught. But... at the same time, he is my father. Maybe it’s best if he doesn’t come back.” 

“I think I get what you mean.” Marinette said. She paused, staring at her lap. “Listen, Adrien, I need to tell you something.” 

“What is it?” He asked, his face growing concerned. 

“Since you don’t remember anything from last night, it’s only fair if I tell you what happened.” She said. “When you were fighting against Ladybug last night, you were able to see her face, past the mask. And so you found out her identity. You found out that I’m Ladybug.” Marinette found it difficult to look up at Adrien. She kept her eyes glued on her lap. When he remained silent, she continued. “The only reason I’m telling you this is because you also told me that you’re Chat Noir.” 

Adrien was speechless. Ladybug laid before him in a hospital bed. He blinked a few times, trying to process this news. “Is... Is that why your concussion got worse?” He asked.

Marinette looked up, surprised. “Yeah, it is.” She laughed a little, bringing a smile to Adrien’s face before the pair fell silent again. 

Their silence was broken by a very excited voice entering the room. “Good morning, Marinette.” Alya said. She paused in the doorway, her eyes landing on Adrien who had turned in his chair to face her. Marinette looked at Alya with a shocked expression. 

“Oh, Alya! Good morning.” She said. 

“Am I interrupting?” Alya asked, feeling a weird vibe from the room. 

Marinette paused and glanced at Adrien, who shrugged at her. “No, no. Come in.” 

Both Adrien and Marinette knew this conversation wasn’t anywhere near over, but it absolutely was not fit to finish with Alya’s presence.


	14. Fourteen

“I really hope your concussion doesn’t get any worse, that really sucks, girl.” Alya said as she gave Marinette’s hand a light squeeze. Adrien sat in his chair, doing his best to act nonchalant. 

“If it gets worse, you’ll be the first to know.” Marinette joked as Alya released her hand. 

“Sounds great.” Alya smiled. “I’m sorry I could only visit for like, 10 minutes, but I promised Nino I would help him babysit his brother today.” 

“Don’t worry about it, Alya. I’ll see you later.” 

“Yes you will.” Alya began walking to the door. “Oh, and don’t forget to have fun while I’m gone.” Alya winked, shooting a look at the back of Adrien’s head as she left. Marinette blushed furiously. 

After a moment of silence, Adrien spoke. “I don’t really know how you could have much fun in a hospital room.” He joked, missing Alya’s suggestion entirely. 

Marinette smiled lightly. “Me neither.” She said, playing dumb. “Listen, Adrien, I really wanted to avoid sharing our identities-”

“Then why did you tell me? You could have kept it a secret and I would never have known.” Adrien interrupted. Marinette looked out of the window, unsure of what to say. 

At face value, yes she told him because she knew it would be unfair to keep such a massive secret from him. But deep down she knew it had something to do with how she felt about him, and how he felt about her. But she couldn’t bring herself to say that. It seemed impossible that he liked her in any capacity. 

“I... It would have been unfair.” She finally said. “I couldn’t go on knowing who you are without you knowing anything. That’s not how a team works.”

“I guess that’s true.” Adrien agreed. “It’s kind of funny to think that you’ve been right in front of me this whole time.” Adrien laughed a little, Marinette soon joined him. 

“Yeah, it is.” She said. Adrien’s expression turned from amused to pensive quickly. “What is it?” Marinette asked. 

“It’s just...” He paused. “The boy you like...” He trailed off. Marinette stared at him with wide eyes as he looked down at his hands. “It’s Luka, isn’t it?” 

“What?” Marinette nearly gasped. 

“If it is I totally understand.” Adrien said quickly. “I don’t want you to feel pressured because we know each other outside of the costumes.” 

“No, Adrien.” Marinette shook her head. The hilarity of the situation just hit her. She had been rejecting Chat Noir all this time because she was in love with Chat Noir. She began to laugh, causing Adrien to raise his brow. 

“I’m sorry for bringing it up.” Adrien apologized, taking Marinette’s laugher the wrong way. 

“No, no!” Marinette continued to chuckle. “It was you.” She shook her head again. “I’ve been rejecting you for you.” Her laugher died down as she realized what she just said. She had just, without any hesitation, admitted Adrien was the boy she loved. To his face. 

Adrien was silent. “You... like me?” He finally said. 

“I-” Marinette said, suddenly flustered. Her face grew red. “...yes.” 

Adrien began to smile as he stood up and took a step to Marinette’s side. She watched him with wide eyes, looking up. He clasped her hand in his and held it to his lips, speaking to the back of her hand. “Well, I can’t think of a better time to ask again than this.” He said softly. Marinette watched with her breath caught in her throat. This felt like a hallucination. Could concussions give hallucinations? She didn’t know, and to be frank she didn’t care. “Will you go out with me? On a date, at least?” He asked. 

Marinette forgot to respond at first. Her heart was racing so quickly that she felt faint, and if she wasn’t laying down she may have fainted on the spot. Adrien waited for her response, watching her face past her hand. “Yes.” She coughed. “Yes, I will go on a date with you.” 

Adrien smiled into her hand. “After you’re out of the hospital, of course.” He kissed her hand. 

“Of course...” Marinette repeated quietly, watching his lips pull back from her. 

In that moment, the tragedy that had shortly earlier befallen Adrien was forgotten, at least for the time being. His mind was on not only his lady, but his classmate and one of his closest friends. He released her hand and took a step back. Marinette was snapped out of her haze as she watched him back up. 

“I should probably go now, there’s a lot to deal with at home.” Adrien said, remembering all he had to do. “But... I’ll come back. Later tonight or tomorrow for sure.”

“Okay.” Marinette said, rubbing the back of her hand subconsciously. 

“You probably want to know about my father, right?” He asked. 

“Of course.” Marinette replied. 

“Then I’ll tell you all about it later.” He nodded, taking a step closer to the door. “But for now, I’ll see you later, my Lady.” He winked before stepping out of the room, leaving Marinette alone, blushing.


	15. Fifteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took so long to release! I started working on it a while ago, but I've been very very busy the past couple of months. The next chapter will be the last one!

Lila sat on her bed, legs crossed, her hand clenched in a fist over her lap. She stared down and bit her lip. She felt _wrong_ , but at the same time... She felt this was right. She opened her fist and looked upon the purple brooch on her palm. Four pieces of stiff fabric extended from each corner, creating what appeared to be wings. She moved her hand back and forth, watching the light from her window reflect off of the brooch. If she wasn’t mistaken, this belonged to Hawkmoth. She recognized the brooch from his outfit. 

She hadn’t been able to sleep the night before. The images forced into her head the day prior had faded, but still lingered. She had never imagined herself as such a horrible creature. But, of course, it wasn’t really her. It was just what that akuma wanted her to see. It was early in the morning, about 3 am if Lila recalled correctly, when the news broke. Hawkmoth had been defeated, and he was none other than Gabriel Agreste, who had fled the city, and likely the country. She wasn’t very surprised at the news of his true identity, it overall made sense. Feeling that she wasn’t going to be able to sleep anyways, she decided to visit the Agreste mansion, and maybe try to get into Adrien’s good graces while he was in a likely vulnerable state. 

She hailed a taxi and found herself down the block from the mansion. She could already see police cars surrounding the mansion from here. Surely she could get in though, right? She approached the mansion, preparing her story. The police officers were busy talking to each other in front of the gates, and for a moment Lila thought she could slip past without even being noticed. “Excuse me, young lady.” One office said as Lila stepped before the gate. 

“Hi!” Lila said, smiling. 

“Can we help you?” Another said.

“I just wanted to see my good friend Adrien after I heard what happened! He must be doing so terribly.” She said, frowning. 

“We can’t let anyone who doesn’t live here in. There’s an active investigation ongoing.” An officer crossed his arms. 

“Oh, really?” Lila put her fingers against her mouth. “But surely you could let me in? I’m Lila Rossi, you’ve heard of me right?” The officers looked at each other, confused. “My mom made a huge donation to the police force last year. The Rossi donation?”

“Um...” An officer said, looking confused. “I don’t remember that. And even if we did, we still can’t let you in to the mansion. You’ll just have to wait to see your friend. Sorry.”

Lila huffed and began to cry. She sobbed lightly into her arm. “I’m just... So worried about him...” 

“Do you need us to call someone to take you home?” An officer offered. Lila frowned into her arm, frustrated. 

“No.” She looked up. “I’ll just have to see him at our weekly dinner tomorrow! I’m sure he’ll love to hear his closest friend was rejected to visit him in his time of need!” She cried out, jutting a finger to the police officer. “I hope you know this will be on you.” 

“Okay, Miss.” The office said, barely hiding it as he rolled his eyes. Lila wrinkled her nose at the man as she turned away, ready to walk home, when something caught her eye. Across the street, nestled in the grass was a barely visible purple glint. It shimmered gently as a car drove past, the headlights quickly fading past. Lila crossed the street and bent down, grabbing the object in her hand. 

“Miss? We have to ask you to leave the scene.” Another officers said from across the street. 

“God, I’m already leaving.” She huffed as she stood up, stuffing the object in her purse. “You can guarantee you’ll hear about this from your superior or whatever tomorrow.” She glared at the officers as she walked back the way she came, hailing another taxi. She didn’t remove the object the entire drive home, instead focusing herself on what she would complain about to the police department. 

Admittedly, by the time she got home and sat on her bed, the last thing on her mind was calling the police. She wasn’t entirely sure how this worked, if she had to say a command to transform, or if she had to put it on... Putting it on would be a good start, she decided before pinning it to her jacket. Immediately, a purple creature shot out from the brooch, causing Lila to jump. Nooroo looked around frantically before his eyes landed on Lila, who watched with awe. “What are you?” She asked reaching out to touch it. 

“Where am I?” Nooroo asked. “How did you get the miraculous?” His voice was weak and fearful, fully recognizing Lila. 

“You’re at my house. Answer my question.” She demanded. 

Obligated to obey, Nooroo replied “I am Nooroo, kwami of transmission and the Butterfly miraculous.” 

“Just what I thought.” She smiled wide. “I’m so lucky.” 

“How did you find my miraculous?” Nooroo asked. 

“It was outside of the Agreste mansion. But it doesn’t really matter now.” Lila said, eager. “Do you have to obey my command?”

“Yes.” Nooroo replied. 

“Oh, perfect. Tell me how to transform.” Lila tapped the brooch. 

“You have to say ‘Nooroo, dark wings rise.” Nooroo felt sick, knowing this would be no better than his time with Gabriel.

“And to detransform?” She asked. 

“Dark wings fall.” 

“Do I have the same powers as Hawkmoth?” Lila felt so, so very ready to get on with it. But she knew going straight to transforming would be a mistake. 

“Yes.” Nooroo looked down at the ground. 

“Clearly Gabriel wasn’t very fit to this role! It’s no wonder he never beat Ladybug and Chat Noir.” Lila paused. “Speaking of Ladybug and Chat Noir... Tell me why Gabriel wanted their miraculous.” 

This was the question Nooroo was dreading to answer. He didn’t, under any circumstances, want Lila to know about the wish she could make. But he had no choice. “If you combine the Ladybug and Cat miraculous, you are able to make one wish. But it isn’t-” 

“Any wish? For anything?” Lila’s eyes perked up. 

“Yes, but-” Nooroo tried desperately to dissuade her to no avail. 

“This is better than I could have ever hoped for. Ladybug doesn’t stand a chance.” She clenched her fists with excitement. “Nooroo, dark wings rise.” She said as she stood up. Nooroo shot into the brooch, transforming her. Lila looked down at herself, at the elegant purple dress she wore, the elbow length silver silk gloves, and the brooch pressed delicately against her chest. She turned to look at herself in the mirror. Her face was disguised by a masquerade type black, purple, and silver mask. The two strands of hair that would usually be tied beside her face were pulled back behind her head into a half updo, long black ribbons cascaded down from her hair. It was better than she imagined. In one hand she held a long black cane with a single butterfly enclosed in the top. 

“Ladybug doesn’t stand a chance against me. I’ll show her and everyone else that she’s nothing but a fraud.” Lila walked over to her window and pushed it open, breathing in the cool night air. Unfortunately for her, she couldn’t sense anyone with strong enough negative emotions, and so her first attack would have to wait. But soon, she thought to herself, she would let Paris know that they aren’t safe just yet.


End file.
